As thousands of Italians leave the country to look for work elsewhere, one young journalist’s blog claims to offer “a megaphone for this generation,” a voice to all those who profess to be ready to return “if...”.
From disenchanted rants to nostalgic laments, feedback from young film directors, researchers and doctors in New York, France and Germany are published by Antonio Siragusa on his blog “iotornose.it” (“I’ll come back, if...”).
“They have an interesting point of view on Italy, which is not heard enough. They can propose changes inspired by the countries where they are living better lives,” the 28-year-old blogger from Caserte, near Naples in southern Italy, told AFP.
“The situation is dramatic. As a precarious worker, I feel it personally,” said Siragusa, who began the blog after his brother, cousins and friends began to emigrate, and does not rule out packing his cases too “if nothing changes”.
The stories on his blog speak of a country stuck in a two-year recession, where anti-crisis austerity programmes have squeezed ordinary Italians hard, but they also denounce a deep-seated culture of nepotism and corruption.
“I would like to return to Italy because the quality of life is better... but here I get a salary I could never dream of back home and my work is appreciated,” said Michela Pascucci, 27, who works for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Brussels.
Natascia Musardo, 28, studying for a doctorate in law at Mainz University in Germany, said: “I’d return, even if I had to earn half as much, if there was a decent job to go to.”